William R. Mistele has devoted himself to the study and practice of many of the world’s spiritual traditions. Since 1975 he has been a student of Franz Bardon’s teachings on Hermetic magic, a system of training that includes the evocation of and communication with nature spirits. Mistele’s new book, Undines: Lessons from the Realm of the Water Spirits dives deep into the world of the water elementals, revealing their true magical forms through a series of stories, personal encounters, and compelling interviews with undine queens.
What book is on your nightstand now?
Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon has been on my nightstand for the last thirty five years. It contains my best dreams and my worst nightmares.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The book of the Bible, Isaiah. Like him, I would like to see wars end on earth.
Who are some writers whose work you admire?
J.R.R. Tolkien. His writing style weaves together the ordinary and the magical.
When did you think about becoming a writer? Was there someone who got you interested in writing?
I directed and acted in Tennessee Williams’ one act play, Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen. It introduced me to the concept of words being able to explore and to evoke feeling without limitation.
What’s the greatest influence on your writing?
Stories like The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip. They treat images as if they are something sweet and intoxicating like mead and feelings like surprise and wonder as if they are magic.
What made you decide to write this book?
It was a basic homework assignment in my thirty five year magical training curriculum. After developing psychic abilities and higher levels of concentration, go out and meet some gnomes, sylphs, and salamanders. And also make friends with the queens of the undines.  Writing the book is just sharing my experiences. In the process of editing I realized that the human race knows next to nothing about these beings.
Is there any particular story to tell concerning the writing of this book?
The undine queens promised me that I would meet real women who are mermaids in women’s bodies. The book contains the story of one such woman.
What is the one thing that you want readers to take away from your book?
The undine queens possess an empathy and a pure receptivity that are able to unite with and transform anyone from within. Water in nature on our planet vibrates with this love. This is something we can learn to embody within ourselves.
How do you write? Do you have a daily routine? What’s good about it? What do you hate about it?
The writing is recording, editing, and revising descriptions of my first hand experiences. I do a lot of listening and deep contemplation. I throw in lots of exercises to try to keep in shape. I train my concentration so I can compete with anyone on earth.
I will often sit down with a pot of coffee and meditate for five hours. This allows me to perceive and describe very faint impressions. But it makes it next to impossible to explain to others what I did with my day.
How did you find the publisher for this book? What has your experience with the process been like?
A friend referred a publisher to me. Obviously, editing and revising are totally different activities than writing. I have to change from being an extreme introvert to becoming a functional extrovert.
What are you working on next?
The next book, Mermaid Women, I am just now finishing. These are real women never before described in history. I have a global casting call for them. They come in groups of three so when I meet one I meet two more as well.  They are the most empathic of all human beings on earth.
There are a number of personality traits they share in common. For example, they do not believe in time. Whether adult or child, they feel they are the same emotional age their entire lives. And they feel a part of nature to the extent it defines who they are. As children, they will spend all day and night in a backyard pool, a bath, or a lake if their parents let them.
What have you learned about human nature that isn’t common knowledge?
The collective conscience of the human race is defective. Will, intellect, and the capacity to work and to build are developed far in excess of our ability to feel. Without a change in this equation, the undine queens consider that human extinction is inevitable.
What single thing might people be surprised to learn about you?
I come from a family of extroverts—lawyers, businessmen, and engineers. I, however, am more introverted than the Dalai Lama. But it is my training that if you genuinely change yourself, you do in fact change the world.
The question no one asks, the one you’re itching to answer is…
What is genuine mythology? There is no hero’s quest of any significance. There is only one story being told on this planet and that is the power of love to transform the world and the consequences of failure. The planet earth waits for an intelligent species to appear that can feel what she feels—a oneness with the universe. The undine queens know this. The human race does not.
For more information on William R. Mistele and his book Undines, visit his website at lava.net/~pagios.
Captivated by mermaid women? Check out Mistele’s Youtube channel for beautiful tributes to the enchanting real life undines who walk among us.
